[Gallery] Online literature and VR get the spotlight at China’s biggest gaming conference

China’s biggest entertainment and video gaming conference, ChinaJoy, is under way in Shanghai. The fervor of Chinese gaming fans remains unshaken by the city’s scorching hot weather, and if anything is even more feverish since the event is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.

There was a healthy dose of everything related to gaming at the carnival: the launch of big gaming titles, virtual reality, gaming payments, and of course, the booth babes who have become a large part of the conference’s charm.

Two gamers playing on stage

HTC VIVE released a new VR game called Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur AR with Square Enix this Thursday. The game features HD boss battles and a card battle system that complements interaction in the VR space.

Two cosplayers posing for Sogou’s new IP-based mobile game Eternal Love (三生三世)

Intellectual property such as worlds and characters created by China’s online literature is paying off big for the entertainment market, creating opportunities for nearly every element of the industry from TV dramas and film to gaming. The TV version of Chinese fantasy epic Eternal Love, based on stories written by online novelist Tang Qi, became an instant hit at the beginning of this year. The film and mobile game version followed a few months after the TV version was aired in an attempt to ride the wave. Driven by the trend, the mobile industry is stepping up. The drama and game version surrounding new elements of IP like Princess Agents (楚乔传) were released at the same time this month. Other Chinese IP following the same pattern are Love O2O (微微一笑很倾城) and Ghost Blows Out the Light (鬼吹灯).

A female gamer testing Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur against a blue screen, while her virtual figure is shown with her collaborators in group battle via IVREAL

In partnership with HTC Vive, Chongqing-based IVREAL demoed their MR technology at ChinaJoy. “We use a third-person view to combine the players and the virtual environment. Compared with first-person footage, the use of a new angle would be super helpful for developers to make a live demo and promote their content,” said Tao Shu, founder and CEO of IVREAL.

Although the VR boom is slowing down as reality sets in (no pun intended), VR booths promising physical activity still lured the most visitors at ChinaJoy. Instead of offering a VR headset alone, nearly all the manufacturers tried to offer more comprehensive experiences that using your whole body. Nined’s VR treadmill works in a similar way to a big baby bouncer, allowing gamers to walk, run, jump, crouch, and sit in their virtual worlds.

Rowing in VRCycling in VR

Shanghai-based VR hardware and software company Hypereal released a bevy of new products including a camera positioning solution for 360° coverage, wireless cameras, VR arcade solutions, as well as VR painting tool Lindori.

We even spotted a few fintech service providers who want to capitalize on the rise of the global gaming market by providing cross-border payment settlement solutions for gamers.

Established in 2015 in Shanghai, iPayLinks is primarily involved with payment settlement solutions, mobile payments solutions, and development of e-payment technology for cross-border and domestic companies in e-commerce, travel and digital entertainment industries.

”Compared with payments in other industries, cross-border payment for the gaming industry is more fragmented, usually featuring payment through telecom carriers, local e-wallets, bank cards, prepaid cards, etc. We now primarily focus on the SEA market, which is usually the first stop for overseas expansions of game developers thanks to similar cultures,” Sales Vice President of iPayLinks told TechNode.

Booth of San Francisco-based international payments platform Paymentwall

Last but not the least, here’s what everyone really comes to ChinaJoy for—the booth babes: